LOWER GWYNEDD — So what are the best-dressed forks, knives and spoons wearing this season?

Cutlery Couture, of course.

The ornamental jackets designed to be worn exclusively by eating utensils bring to the table what could only be described as a true fashion statement, according to Petra Rowland, who started the Web-based Cutlery Couture with longtime friend Alison Pelose to lend a dash of European panache to American tables.

“It’s a different concept,” Rowland said. “When you say ‘cutlery pouch,’ people don’t know what that is until you show it to them, and then it makes all the sense in the world. It’s a very visual product and we knew we had to get out there and do the craft fairs.”

Advertisement

Suitable for any dining motif from white tablecloth to backyard barbecue, the pouches, which serve as vessels for silverware or plastic ware, are made of rustic burlap of various colors and are festooned with faux flowers, ribbons and other materials.

Fueled by the favorable reaction they received at craft fairs in Ocean City and a smattering of holiday shows in the area, the partners gained the confidence to apply for vendor booth space at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

“We applied in January on a whim and were accepted,” Rowland said by phone from Cutlery Couture’s Booth 804 at the flower show, where she and Pelose will be customizing their wares for fans of floral accents through March 10.

“For the last six weeks, needless to say, it took a village to get this company there,” added Rowland, laughing. “We got some help from a sewer to make more than 22,000 pouches, and we’ve done all the adornment ourselves, put all the flowers on and hand-tied every ribbon. When I say that our children, our husbands and our friends have been helping us for the last six weeks, I’m not minimizing that effort.”

After just three days of showcasing a product that seemed to be an instant hit with the flower show crowd, Rowland, a Lower Gwynedd resident, said she was struck by the caliber of the company she was keeping.

“We realized the tenure of the vendors there,” said Rowland, a publicist for Mercedes-Benz by day and a crafter by night. “One of them had been with the flower show for 10 years, and the gentleman next to our booth had been with them for 17 years. Saturday and Sunday were just tremendous days for us and we’ve had all these amazing opportunities come our way.”

The women created new designs for the Philadelphia Flower Show with the efflorescence of spring and summer in mind: Spring Meadow, Nautical, Seaside Dunes, Casual Citrus, Simply Neutral and White Bouquet in Basket, with accessories that include crate holders and fabric napkins.

A set of eight pouches comes packaged in a rustic crate and sells for $24.

“Our Simply Neutral collection can take you through any season,” Rowland said. “The Nautical and Seaside Dunes are geared toward spring and summer. We have the pouches in a place setting with china and show that you can also put them in baskets and crates and all sort of things as a grab-and-go type thing for a larger event.”

The eye-catching Cutlery Couture display has been enchanting not only customers but retailers and others interested in doing business with the partners.

“We knew we would be an attractive product for consumers, but to have the other entrepreneurs come up to us and ask us to wholesale our products, and wedding planners ask if they could add our product to their repertoire ... we didn’t even expect that,” Rowland said. “The show pulls from such a wide area. We’ve met people from Houston, West Virginia, Massachusetts. I must have at least 20 contacts right now of people who want us to come to their fundraisers and galas.

“So it will be interesting to see how quickly we can even grow regionally,” she added. “We feel very blessed.”